Positive youth development programs targeting students with greater psychosocial needs: a replication.

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Psychology
• Social Work Interventions
• Program Evaluation

Background:

• Project P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes) Tier 2 Program addresses adolescents with significant psychosocial needs.
• Programs are developed and delivered by school social workers, indicating a focus on integrated school-based support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the subjective outcomes and perceived effectiveness of the Tier 2 Program.
• To assess adolescent participants' views on the program content, delivery, and overall helpfulness.

Main Methods:

• A large-scale subjective outcome evaluation involving 9,931 participants from 212 schools post-program completion.
• Data collection via the Subjective Outcome Evaluation Form (Form C) and aggregation of agency reports to create a comprehensive participant perception profile.
• Categorization of programs into four types: adventure-based counseling, volunteer training, combined approaches, and other foci.

Main Results:

• High participant satisfaction with both the programs and the social workers involved.
• Over 80% of respondents reported the program as beneficial to them.
• Positive perceptions were consistent across different program types, including adventure-based counseling and volunteer training.

Conclusions:

• The Tier 2 Program of Project P.A.T.H.S. demonstrates effectiveness in supporting adolescents with psychosocial needs in Hong Kong.
• The findings support the continued implementation and potential expansion of this school-based social work intervention.
• Subjective outcome evaluations are valuable for understanding participant perspectives and program impact.